Winston Day 2002
Saturday July 20, 9:00am
- 4:00pmJon
Covich Representing: R.L.Winston Rod Co. makers
of fine fly rodsCast a Winston Rod for a chance to
win a Winston Fly Rod worth $645
FREE CASTING LESSONS (given by professionals)!!!
FREE BARBEQUE (noon-on, on the new back deck) !!!
FREE
PRIZES (every hour, float tube, fly lines, tying material) !!!
Two Rods Given Away This Year !!!
For Guys and Gals:Win
a LTX
9' #5 Winston Rod Worth $645.
To be eligible you must cast a Winston Rod during Winston Day, July
20 and have entered the drawing.
You do not have to be present to win.

For The Ladies Only!Win a Very Rare Unused IM-6
Joan Wulff
Favorite Winston Rod Worth
$595.
A special drawing will be held July 20 for women only. Must be
present to win.

LT Rod Drawing at 4:00pm,
Joan Wulff Rod Drawing at 5:00pm.

A Fly Fishing Trip to Loreto, Mexico
By Treg Owings
June 21, 2002 started early in Portland by getting to the airport at 5 AM.
Plane left for LAX at 7 and then on to Aero California to Loreto.
Only one flight per day so you better not miss this one. We all
met in LAX for the flight in.
Ground transfer to the hotel was included in the package. This
might be a good time to talk about the fishing package we chose.
The trip was arranged through Angler's
Passport . The cost was $1180, double occupancy. This
included 3 meals a day and a room for 7 nights at the Hotel
Oasis. We

fished 6 days in
Pangas. This
is also included. With this package we received all ground
transfers. You also have someone who makes all arrangements and
makes sure everything goes smoothly. Extra costs include TIPS.
We tipped our guide between $20 and $30 a day. Twenty is standard.
We bought sardinas for $10. We tipped a
buck at lunch and dinner. We tipped the maids and we tipped the
kids who carried our coolers. More on that later.

OK, back to the trip. We arrived in Loreto and went through
customs and picked up our luggage and off to the hotel. Two of us
were missing coolers. One cooler was empty. Mine had 73
pounds of 16 ounce water bottles. Luckily they both showed up the next
day. I suggest coolers with wheels if you want to bring home fish.

My fishing partner was Jerry Kustich who
builds bamboo rods for Winston. After we were checked in, Jerry and I headed
for the beach to do a little surf fishing. We caught some
trumpet
fish which are a cross between an eel and a fish. Some were up
to 30 inches long. Their mouths are about the size of a quarter.
They twist and are slimy and hard to hold. Not a fish of choice.
The beech area in front of the hotel is fairly shallow. Folks swim
in it and do some snorkeling. That evening we had chicken for
dinner in a beautiful outdoor setting, but sometimes you have to fight off the sparrows for your chips. To
prepare for the next mornings fishing we give Raul, the busboy our drink order for
the cooler provided in our boat. Because my waters did not make
the trip yet, we chose 2 waters (they were 1/2 gallon containers) and 3 cervezas.

Morning #1 started w/ a knock on our door at
5 am. We got up and went to the breakfast buffet.
This included pancakes and French toast, scrambled eggs w/ sausage, ham,
or omelet stuff, toast, refried beans, pastries, and fruit. After
this we met our guide, Tacho, around 6 AM and climbed in the Panga (22
foot fiberglass boat). We then went to get sardinas. Tacho
netted our bait so we got it free. The next day we did the same
but the Policia stopped that. If the pangaros

did not have a bait
license they could not net. After that we paid $10 a day for
sardinas. We then headed out. Friday (our first day) was pretty rough. We went North of
Isla
Carmen. We found some Sargasso
Weed but patches were few and far between. Because it was so
rough this day we mostly trolled. I used my 12 wt w/ a large blue
and white fly w/ stinger hooks. I ended up boating
4 dorado. During one of my hook-ups a VERY large bull was lit up
near the boat. Jerry cast to it a couple times. I think this
fish may have been around 40 pounds. Jerry had one take but the
fish came right at him and he did not get a good hook set. I think
that was the biggest fish we had a
shot at for the trip. Well, except for one I lost but more on that
later.

We headed back around 12.
When we landed we were surrounded by kids (muchachos) that wanted to carry ALL our
gear to the room. We made the mistake of letting them do this
(except for our rods). After the first day we had 1 muchacho carry
our cooler to the room. If anything was left in the cooler it
usually ended up in their pocket. We tipped them about a

buck and
gave them some bottled
water. The fish was given to the "wheelbarrow man" who
took it to the cleaning station. Poncho would then fillet the
fish. I took my vacuum packer to bag fish and then into the hotel
freezer. I tipped the fish cleaner a couple bucks and the
wheelbarrow man. I finally would make it
to lunch around 2. Lunches varied. All meals included soup
and chips and salsa. If you drank anything other than water or tea
it went on your bill. I drank a lot of water.
After lunch we went to the pool with our rods. Al, an experienced
Loreto angler from Tacoma, taught me what to do next. You went to
the deep end and tossed your rods in! After a few minutes you dove
in and took them out and let them dry. This became a daily ritual.
Next came a siesta or a walk into town. It was hot in Loreto.
The town is small.

However, they do have a lot of nice shops. Also there is a
place to get on the internet. That cost about $1 for 10 minutes.
This is where Sue and I were able to chat each evening.
Evening meals were usually around 7 or 8. Meals were decent.
Some better than others. In the evening we tied leaders and
discussed flies and strategy for the next day. I'll send more
reports soon.To
be continued in: 07/14/02 "Insider".

What Is The Difference Between Fly
Lines????Does one brand actually cast differently than another?
Wouldn't you really like to know? Now you can!The Fly Fishing Shop has assembled one of the
largest collections of
demo fly lines for you to play with.
These lines are from:Cortland, Royal Wulff, Sage & Scientific AnglersNow you can try before you buy.
Now you can see for your self.

Summer Steelhead Fishing is a key
part of the activity around
The Fly Fishing Shop. Fishing forays are made weekly to keep us
up-to-date with first hand proprietary information. The best part
is that Patty and I have to collect much of this information in person.
Well that's just the way it is. It's dirty dangerous work, but
someone has to do it.

Summer Steelhead/Salmon Run
Predictions and Up-dates, by River!

Clackamas River

Water conditions are good. Still fair
numbers of fairly bright summer steelhead. Most of the Spring
Chinooks are starting to turn color and many are beyond their
prime. However some very bright Chinooks are still
available. Fishing has been good for skilled anglers. Expect
a very large run of Coho Salmon September/October.

Clear Water River

No steelhead activity at present. Will
start fishing in September/October. Best period for fly fishing
October 1-15.

Deschutes River

Steelhead are just starting to enter the river
now. Fish are scattered in the lower ten miles. Seasonal
water conditions should be favorable. White River glacial run-off
is always the wild card. Steelhead run is expected to exceed last
ten year average.

Grand Rhonde River

No steelhead activity at present. Will
start fishing in October/November. Best period for fly fishing is
October 15 to November 15.

Hood River River

There are still good numbers of fairly bright
steelhead stacked up in the mile below Power Dale Dam. The rest of
the river from from the dam to the mouth has sparser numbers of fish.
The problem is water color from glacial silt. Only on the coolest
days is the river fishable. Best period for fly fishing May & June.

John Day River

Not much steelhead activity yet. A few
fish are at the mouth of the river. Predictions of run size and water
conditions are favorable for fall fishing. Best period for fly
fishing October & November.

Klickitat River

There are fair numbers of very bright
steelhead. The run will continue to build through July and
August. The problem is the Klick is in and out with glacial
turbidity. When it's clear it can be great. Most predictable
period for fly fishing is October.

North Santiam River

Water conditions are good. Still good numbers of bright summer steelhead.
Some very bright Chinooks are still
available. Fishing has been good for anglers willing to cover a
lot of water. Fishes well through October.

North Umpqua River

A few very bright fish are scattered in the
fly-only water now. This run will build throughout the summer.
Seasonal water conditions should be favorable. Steelhead run is
expected to exceed last ten year average. Best fishing period is
August through October.

Rogue River

A few half-pounders in the lower river now.
This run will build throughout the summer. Adult steelhead run will
start in August. Seasonal water conditions should be
favorable. Steelhead run is expected to exceed last ten year
average. Best fishing period is August through October.

Sandy River

There are still good numbers of fairly bright
steelhead stacked up below Marmot Dam. The rest of the river from
from the dam to the mouth has sparser numbers of fish. The problem is
water color from glacial silt. The Sandy went out early this year
and is expected to be out much of the summer. Only on the coolest
days is the river fishable. Best period for fly fishing April, May &
October. Expect a very large run of Coho Salmon September/October.

The Fly Fishing Shop has one of the most divers and
extensive collections
of steelhead flies to be found
anywhere!